Adjustable and variable centering for concrete arches, &amp;c..



- H. A. LOSER. ADJUSTABLE AND VARIABLE OENTERING FOR CONCRETE ARGHES,aw. APPLICATION IILED 1'38. 18, 1913.

1,1 12,542. Patented 0015.6,1914.

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THE NORRIS PETERS CO P'HbTQ-LITHDH WASHINGTON. D. c.

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HARRY A. LOSER, OF BALTIMORE, MARYLAND.

ADJUSTABLE AND VARIABLE CENTERING FOR CONCRETE ARCHES, 850.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HARRY A. Losnn, a citizen of the United States,residing at Baltimore, in the State of Maryland, have invented certainnew and useful Improvements in Adjustable and Variable Centering forConcrete Arches, &c., of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to adjustable and variable centering for reinforcedconcrete arches, bridges, culverts, tunnels and sewers, and in allplaces where it is necessary to use a curved supporting frame duringconstruction work.

The objects of my invention are first, to provide a construction ofcentering which 1s strong and compact in form and cheaply manufactured,and at the same time be quickly assembled, adjusted in position, andremoved or knocked down in the shortest time, after the concrete archhas set, and transported to be again set up with the least cost; second,to provide a series of independent and adjustable sections whichcooperate with an adjustable center section, whereby an arch of anyradius not necessarily a multiple of the center section, and any depth,may be quickly and cheaply constructed; third, further objects andadvantages of construction which will readily appear from the detaileddescription of the apparatus and mode of operating the same.

The invention consists of structural characteristics and relativearrangements of the several parts as will be hereinafter more fully setforth and particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings wherein similarreference characters indicate the same parts in the several figures, inwhich- Figure 1 is a side elevation of the invention as it appears whenassembled; Fig. 2 is a side view, partly in section, and on an enlargedscale, of two of the adjustable sections, forming the centering; Fig. 3is an end view on an enlarged scale of an adjustable section; Fig. 4c isan enlarged side view, half in section and half in elevation, of theadjustable center section; and Fig. 5 is a sec tion taken on line VV, ofFig. 4

Referring to the drawings 1, 1, are pin seats, resting upon screws orjacks 2, 2, capable of vertical adjustment and bearlng against blocks 3,3, capable of adjustment on upright blocks 1, 1, and held in a fast andSpecification of Letters Patent.

Application filed February 18, 1913.

Patented Oct. 6, 1914.

Serial No. 749,126.

rigid position by means of horizontal wedges 5, 5, said jacks 2, 2, andupright blocks 4:, 4c, abutting against suitable piers or abutments 6,of concrete, placed in proper position before the centering is put inplace and the arch is poured, and forms no part of the presentinvention.

The intermediate sections 7, 7, are composed of triangular trusses madepreferably of base members composed of channel irons 8, 8, and sidemembers 9, 9, composed of angle irons, rigidly connected at one end tosaid base members by plates 9, 9 riveted to said base and side membersand at their other or apex end of the truss, to plates 10,

10. Said angle irons 9, 9, are connected and v braced together by crosspieces 11, 11, which securely hold the pieces forming the triangulartrusses together in one rigid whole. The base members 8, 8, have securedto their ends plates 12, each of which is provided 7 with a roundopening 13 to receive a pin 14,

and hingedly connect the said intermediate sections 7, 7 at th ends oftheir bases.

The plates 10 near the inner ends of angle irons 9, 9, are provided withopenings 15 5 to receive pins 16 which pass through the eyes of rightand left screw threaded rods 17, the ends of which are engaged byturnbuckles 18, as shown in Fig. 2. At the extreme outer end of each ofthe plates 10 is provided a hole 19 through which is passed a suitablerod 20 connecting the lower ends of two or more of the sections 7 7 toinsure lateral rigidity, and said rod is kept from sliding through saidholes 19 by a circular clamp 21 interposed between the ends of theplates 10 and encircling andfirmly gripping the rod 20. The adjustablecenter section shown in Figs. 1 and 5 is composed of a strut member 23and two adjustable members 2 1, 24:, adapted to slide over the ends ofthe said strut member. The strut member is preferably of a hollow or boxform and is composed of two pieces 25,25, U-shaped in cross section, andconnected together by side pieces 26, 26, which side pieces are providedwith a series of holes to receive bolts 27, 27 as shown. The adjustablemembers 24, 2 1, are likewise made of hollow or box form and adapted tofit and easily slide over the ends of the strut member 23, and consistof two U-shaped pieces 28, 2S, and side pieces 29, 29, riveted togetheras shown. The side pieces 29, 29, have slots 30, 30, corresponding tothe bolt holes in the strut member 23 and at the lower ends are holes31, for the purpose of receiving a pin 16 to engage the eye of athreaded rod 17 similar to that described with respect to theintermediate sections 7, 7 Each of said adjustable members 24: areprovided at their upper and outer ends with a plate 24 with a hole 25 toreceive a pin l l, similar to and as described with reference to theintermediate sections 7, 7.

The end sections 32, see Fig. 1, are composed of a riveted structuraltruss frame as shown, and provided with pins 33 for connecting the sameto the pin seats 1, l. The arrangements for attachment to the adjacentintermediate 'ection may be of any other form and construction, if sodesired, and forms no essential part of the present invention.

34 is a flooring over the top of the centering which in turn carries anysuitable covering 35 to sustain the mixed concrete 36 and form afinished surface to the curved outer side of theconcrete arch, when thecentering, flooring and covering are removed.

From the foregoing disclosure it will be seen that in an arch whoselength is not an exact multiple of the intermediate section 7, thecenter section can be adjusted so that the members 2st, 2% firmly abutagainst the adjacent intermediate sections 7,7, as shown in Fig. 1 whenthe bolts 27, 27, are screwed up, thereby securely holding together saidcenter section to receive the weight of the load when the concrete isfilled in to form the arch. The curvature of the arch can also be easilychanged and the adjustment of any particular intermediate section '2'can be readily ellected, by simply turning one, several, or all of theturnbuckles 18 to properly and uniformly distribute the load on thecentering. After the concrete has hardened and the arch is selfsupporting, the centering can be readily removed in sections and easilytransported to be again. set up.

lVhat I claim is 1. An intermediate section for an adjustable orvariable centering to form concrete arches comprising a triangular trusshaving a base member, and side members having one of their endsconnected to opposite ends of the base and their other ends connected toeach other to form the apex of the truss, means at the ends of the basemember for pivotally connecting the same to an adjoining intermediatesection, a pin rigidly sup ported in said. section at the apex of thetruss, and two separate and independent rods pivotally connected at oneof their ends to said pin and free at the other end, and meansadjustably connecting the free ends of each two adjacent rods.

2. An intermediate section for an adjustble or variable centering toform concrete arches comprising a triangular tru s having a base memberhaving pin openings at its ends, and side members having one of theirends connected to the opposite ends of the base ant their other endsconnected to each other to form the apex of the truss, removable pinsinserted in the openings at the ends of the base member for pivotallyconnecting one section to an adjoining section, a pin rigidly supportedin said section at the apex of the truss, two separate and independentrods pivotally connected at one end to said pin in said apex of thetruss and threaded at the other end, and means adjustably conecting thethreaded ends of each two adjacent rods.

3. An adjustable center section for an adjustable or variable centeringto form concrete arches comprising a central strut member, an adjustableside piece adapted to be connected to each of the ends of the strutmeinb r, and means for rigidly leckin g said strut member and sidepieces together after having been properly adjusted with respect to eachother, and means at the bottom out each of said side pieces foradjustably con necting a truss of the centering to each of said sidepieces.

4-. An adjustable center section for an adjustable and variablecentering to form con crete arcl es comprising a central strut member,an adjustable side piece adapted to slide over each ot the ends of thestrut member, and fastening bolts passing through the strut member andside pieces for rigidly locking said strut member and side piecestogether after having been prop-- erly adjusted with respect to eachother, means at the top of each of said side pieces fer pivotahyconnecting a truss of the centering to each of said side pieces, andmeans at the bottom of each of said pieces for adjustably connecting atruss of the centering to each of said side pieces.

In testimony whereof I a'liix my signature in presence of two witnesses,

HARRY A. LOSER.

ld itn esses Josnrn N. Cnannlon, JOHN T. Fanny.

Uopies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe fiommissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. G.

